Accelerate TEXAS Week salutes efforts to help adult learners
succeed in college
Recruitment and recognition events happening November 9-15
AUSTIN, TX (Nov. 3, 2014) — More than 21 community colleges and college districts across Texas will
celebrate Accelerate TEXAS Week November 9-15 in honor of the initiative that has helped more than
400 students earn a GED and more than 3,100 basic skills students earn a certificate or college
credentials. Campuses will host various events that provide information to potential students and
recognize outstanding program graduates.
Accelerate TEXAS programs integrate relevant basic skills content with workforce training programs,
enabling students to gain entry into career pathways for high-demand jobs in industries including health
care, manufacturing, construction, and transportation. The colleges also use real-time labor market data
and other information to determine which credentials hold the most value for students.
Accelerate TEXAS addresses a critical workforce issue: At least 60 percent of Texas jobs will require a
career certificate or college degree by 2020, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education
and the Workforce. This initiative is aimed at accelerating the skills of the estimated 44 percent of Texans
over age 25 who have never been to college, let alone earned a credential. Of the students who earned a
workforce credential through Accelerate TEXAS, 76 percent were employed or enrolled in college three
to six months after program completion.
“We know that many adult learners in the state are not prepared to enter college and succeed,” said David
Gardner, deputy commissioner for academic planning and policy for the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board. The THECB funds Accelerate TEXAS and provides services at state community
colleges in partnership with federally supported adult education and literacy programs funded by the
Texas Workforce Commission. “The THECB and Accelerate TEXAS colleges are changing all that.
We’re showing how integrating basic skills and workforce training can help adult learners earn
credentials, and we hope that colleges throughout the state will follow suit.”
Collaboration among employers, workforce boards, adult education providers, and community-based
organizations is also increasing as the colleges develop and implement integrated pathway programs.
“Partnering with all these groups is crucial to meeting adult learners’ diverse needs,” said Gloria Cross
Mwase of Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit that manages Accelerate TEXAS. “Texas is truly a national
leader in bringing together critical stakeholders to help close achievement gaps and build a highly
competitive state workforce.”
Follow the week on Twitter with #AccelerateTX.
The participating colleges and college districts are (with contact info for Accelerate TEXAS Week
events):
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Alamo Community College District (Melissa Nitu, mnitu@alamo.edu, 210.485.0279)
Amarillo Community College (Tamara Clunis, ttclunis@actx.edu, 806.371.5429)
Austin Community College (David Borden, dborden@austincc.edu)
Blinn College, Megan Costanza (megan.costanza@blinn.edu), 979.830.4454)
Coastal Bend College (Julia Garcia, jgarcia@coastalbend.edu), 361.362.6095)
College of the Mainland (Josh Hayes, jhayes1@com.edu)
El Centro College (Iris Freemon, ifreemon@dcccd.edu)
El Paso Community College (Sara Martinez, smart@epcc.edu)
Hill College (Rex Parcells, rparcells@hillcollege.edu, 254.659.7821)
Houston Community College (Millicent Bradford, millicent.bradford@hccs.edu, 713.718.2314)
Laredo Community College (Sandra Cortez, Sandra.Cortez@laredo.edu)
Lone Star College District (Martha Neely, Martha.L.Neely@lonestar.edu, 936.521.4530)
San Jacinto College, (Sarah Janes, sarah.janes@sjcd.edu)
South Texas College (Liz Hernandez, lizh@southtexascollege.edu, 956.961.8337)
Southwest Texas Junior College (Romelia Aranda, rdaranda@swtjc.edu, 830.758.4125)
Tarrant County College District (Rosemary Hamlin, rosemary.hamlin@tccd.edu, 817.515.2516)
Texarkana College (Katie Jewell, Katie.Jewell@texarkanacollege.edu, 903.823.3085)
Texas State Technical College (Javier Deleon, jdeleon@tstc.edu)
Tyler Junior College (Chera Crawford, ccrawford@lcotyler.org)
Victoria College (Sherri Pall, Sherri.Pall@victoriacollege.edu)
Wharton County Junior College (Cyrus Johnson, cjohnson@wcjc.edu)
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Mission Statement
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board promotes access, affordability, quality, success, and
cost efficiency in the state’s institutions of higher education, through Closing the Gaps and its successor
plan, resulting in a globally competent workforce that positions Texas as an international leader in an
increasingly complex world economy.
www.thecb.state.tx.us
@TXHigherEdBoard
Contact: Kelly Carper Polden, Assistant Director of Communications, 512.427.6119,
kelly.polden@thecb.state.tx.us
About Jobs for the Future
JFF works with our partners to design and drive adoption of education and career pathways leading from
college readiness to career advancement for those struggling in today’s economy. JFF provides Accelerate
TEXAS with technical assistance, and policy and communications support
www.jff.org
@JFFtweets
Contact: Erica Acevedo, Project Manager, 617.728.4446, eacevedo@jff.org
About the Public Policy Research Institute
Texas A&M University’s PPRI supports Accelerate TEXAS by providing statewide program evaluation.
ppri.tamu.edu